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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mate — a friend
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rush — hurry
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. toast — bread
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to click
  22. mate — a partner
  23. ball — a dance
  24. vault — in gymnastics

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com